The bustling city of Bangkok rarely takes a breather, but any hint of genuine chaos in the city can bring it to a standstill. That’s precisely what happened just recently in Soi Sukhumvit 39, where a normally manageable two-lane stretch was converted into a bottleneck that churned out frustration faster than traffic. The cause? An almost innocuous attempt to paint the lively neighborhood a little greener by introducing a bicycle lane.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), under the watchful eye of Governor Chadchart Sittipunt, found itself at the center of a traffic storm, fervently apologizing and reopening the much-contested lane faster than the initial road closure could transform into social media criticism. The project, born of collaboration between the BMA and various foreign experts and embassies, was designed with aspirations as noble as they were, eventually misguided: to boost walking and cycling culture in the City of Angels.
During this pilot initiative, a segment of Soi Sukhumvit 39 was cordoned off from vehicular chaos by collapsible traffic posts, creating a utopia for cyclists—or so the intention was. Unfortunately, the attempted utopia quickly descended into dystopia as the narrowed lane sowed the seeds of aggressive horn-honking, traffic disgorging into a cacophony reminiscent of a rock concert. As road rage simmered, complaints erupted, sending wisps of smoggy exasperation up through the city’s skyscrapers.
Traffic woes didn’t just bedevil the local area but snowballed to paralyze 17 major arteries, including the likes of Phetchaburi Road, Thong Lor, and Ekkamai. Motorists found themselves part of a snarling creature extending outwards, with queues reaching up to landmarks like Victory Monument and spilling onto Phatthanakan Road. Observers noted a poignant irony in the misfortune: rather than the nimble bicycles for whom the lane was intended, it was dominated by speedy motorcycles and delivery riders, as if two-wheeled interlopers had claimed dominion over this ill-fated experiment.
With the backlash echoing louder than a monsoon storm, the BMA promptly marched—or drove, in this case—back on their plans. Governor Chadchart himself oversaw the unwinding of their earlier maneuvers, reinstating the once joyous two-lane thoroughfare, while adopting a shared-use solution where pedestrians and those mythical cycles could still coexist.
Stepping into the headlights of public critique, Mr. Chadchart issued a heartfelt mea culpa, urging the discontented populace to imagine urban revamps as experiments subject to the learning curve—and occasional fender-bender. “I would like to apologise to the public if this has caused any inconvenience. If there are mistakes, we will improve and make them better,” he conveyed, reflecting the resilience necessary when one wrong turn in city planning can lead to fortuitous arrivals at better urban futures.
As traffic resumes its habitual whir and hum, Bangkok watches with expectant eyes, curious about what other transformative aspirations might one day enhance—not impede—its vibrant streetscape.
Why on earth would they think putting a bike lane there was a good idea? It’s one of the busiest streets!
Bike lanes are essential for promoting sustainable transportation. Cities need to adapt.
I get the sustainability part, but not at the cost of creating traffic chaos. There must be a better way.
I guess you’ve never been to Bangkok. Motorcycles drive on the sidewalks while pedestrians are forced to walk in the street. Bicycles nonexistent and only an idiot would ride one sucking exhaust fumes while dodging the millions of banzai suicidal Hondas and Suzukis with three people and a refrigerator on the back. Lived there, seen it everyday.
Busyness is exactly why they needed to encourage bikes—less congested roads.
But it backfired this time. The execution was the problem, not the idea itself.
Cities are for people, not cars Karen 🤣🤣🤣 the cars taking up space and killing us with pollution are the issue and cause mass injury and death. They should maybe try to be more Buddhism and less capitalism ~~~ create systems that are safe and healthy and reduce suffering. Not jam many toxic and deadly cars into a city with no space for such vehicles.
Mistakes like these are part of urban development. At least they owned up to it quickly.
True, but these mistakes cost valuable time and resources. They should plan better initially.
Mistakes happen, but they need to learn from them. At least it sparked a discussion about urban planning.
They should have used traffic sensors and data analytics to plan this. Tech can help avoid such blunders.
Exactly! But what about the urgency to address climate change?
Balancing both tech and environment is key. Pushing too fast without data can cause backlash.
It’s ridiculous how motorbikes took over the bike lane! The city needs stricter enforcement.
Honestly, it was bound to happen without clear separation or penalties.
Yes, and it diminishes the trust in future urban experiments.
How about improving public transport instead of squeezing bike lanes into traffic-heavy roads?
Bingo! Improving buses and trains should have been the priority.
Governor Chadchart’s apology shows accountability is present, but it might not be enough to regain public confidence.
He’ll need more proactive measures for restoration of confidence.
Agreed. Actions speak louder than words.
Despite the failure, it’s great to see attempts at improving the urban environment. They’ll get it right eventually.
In my day, this never would have been a problem. People walked more, and cars weren’t everywhere.
Times change, OldManSam. Adaptation is necessary, even if mistakes happen.
Times change is such a shallow response. Having heads stuck inside a mobile for hours is the least adaptive behaviour. Too many now look but don’t see, hear but don’t listen and talk/text without saying anything. Do better. Be more constructive with your thinking about change for us all. Don’t just say, do. We want to listen. We want to see it.
True, but what I wouldn’t give for a little more common sense these days.
I just hope this experience doesn’t discourage future efforts to reduce traffic and pollution.
Bangkok will learn. Sometimes you must weather the storm to see the rainbow.
Truly gifted writing. If all articles were as enjoyable to read as this one, I’d read more of them. Thank you!
Jakarta has a similar set up — dedicated lanes that have to accommodate other two wheelers, buses stopping and cars accessing buildings.
Problem is that there are so few bicyclists to enforce compliance/demand respect.
Hence these hybrid half-efforts deserve a D grade in my book.
i was in the middle of it… since i live in the area and got late to drop kid to school…
I have a mix feeling since we finally got an initiative from the city to get into the right direction…
however i feel so annoyed to see that walking lane has been grabbing space from the road instead of grabbing space from the current construction site in progress exactly in front of that lane…